The Holocaust Chapter 24 Section 2 The United

The Holocaust Chapter 24 Section 2 The United States in World War II Riddlebarger

First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Introduction • Allies discovered concentration camps when they went into Germany (1945) • Allies were shocked by what they saw despite word leaking out since 1941 -42 • Concentration camps take the lives of about 6 million Jews and about 5 million Slavs, Gypsies, Communists & others.

Concentration Camp Locations

Origins of the Holocaust • Anti-Semitism – Feature of Christianity – Jews dispersed from Palestine in 70 A. D. and settle in various areas of Europe. – Did not tend to assimilate to societies they lived in – Holding on to their religion & culture made them be seen as outsiders. – While some societies wanted to assimilate them, many in Germany wanted to force them out.

Origins continued – Nazism (2 strands) • Nationalism/racism- Jews not considered true Germans; Did not adhere to German culture • World Jewish Conspiracy- belief that a small group of wealthy people behind scenes controlling everything, denying Germany proper place in world, costing Germany in WWI – Hitler is seen as the only one to stand up to them.

Differing views on origins of Holocaust • “Intentionalists” – Feel Hitler harbored the intention of killing Jews from the beginning – One justification is Hitler’s hatred of Jews & control over Germany. • “Functionalists” – Find no convincing evidence that Hitler had a master plan for killing Jews. – Believe a chain of events orchestrated by German government led to Holocaust.

Implementation: 4 stages 1. Preliminary-(1933 -40) discrimination laws against Jews & acts of violence; Jews dispossessed of homes & placed in Ghettos. – – Nuremberg Laws- strip Jews of citizenship & many rights. Kristallnacht- anti. Jewish riots break out; businesses & temples destroyed; 100 die

DER EWIGE JUDE The Wandering Jew • Nazis use propaganda films to spread anti-Semitic message • �

Jewish Ghettos • Ghettos were communities where Jews were confined often by walls or fences • Food was scarce & disease common • You were shot for trying to escape.

Holocaust Stage 2 2. Transitional-(1941 -42) • Liquidation of Jews (& Communists) in Soviet Union. • Construction of concentration camps in Eastern Europe.

Holocaust Main Phase 3. (1942 -44) • Systematic elimination of Jewish Ghettos & transport of Jews to camps. • Either work them to death or systematically murder those incapable of slave labor. • The Final Solution

Crematorium

Holocaust Final Phase • Nazi military attempts to conceal evidence • People still die of hunger, overwork and limited executions.

The Final Solution • From the 1 st days of WW 2, instances of Nazi mass-killings of Jews & other civilians occurred. – Genocide: killing of an entire people • Concentration camps established to make killing more efficient – Gas chambers used – Some subjected to cruel medical experiments. • About 6 million Jews killed; about 5 million others (POW’s, disabled, Gypsies)

American Response • American immigration rules limited the number who could move here to escape – Concern over increased number of workers – Ignorance over reality of situation • U. S. focus is more on military victory • 1944: FDR establishes War Refugee Board which will help save 200, 000.

Liberation • 1944: Soviet advances lead them to discover some of death camps in Poland. • Early 1945, they reach Auschwitz • U. S. & British forces start coming upon them in early 1945.

Nuremberg Trials • Following World War II, many Nazis faced trial for their roles in the Holocaust (genocidal campaign against Jews in World War II) • 22 Nazis tried for war crimes; 12 sentenced to die. • After Nuremberg others will be hunted down & tried in different courts.

Where did the greatest losses of life take place during the Holocaust?

In Aushwitz, a warehouse of clothes belonging to murdered women.

U. S. liberation of Buchenwald